Office Accommodation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what office accommodation in the parliamentary estate in terms of  (a) square metres and  (b) number of rooms is allocated to the Leader of the Opposition; what was allocated in each of the previous five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Evidence on office space allocation and occupancy was submitted to the Administration Committee's inquiry into House of Commons Accommodation earlier this year. This evidence is published with that Committee's Third Report of the Session, HC 1279.
	From 2001 to November 2003 the Shadow cabinet accommodation was seven rooms totalling 216m(2). This included the Shadow Cabinet Meeting Room of 46m(2). In December 2003 the Official Opposition chose to move the Leader and his staff to 8 rooms in Norman Shaw South, totalling 311m(2). On 30 June 2006 one of the Leader's rooms (24m(2)) was re-allocated to an Opposition Member's staff. Other changes over the period in question have been minimal. The Leader of the Opposition and his staff currently occupy 287m(2). The Shadow Cabinet Room remains available for Shadow Cabinet Meetings.
	All allocations are made by the Opposition Accommodation Whip out of the rooms available to him for his Members and their staff. The overall distribution of rooms for Members is agreed between the parties after the General Election.

Parliamentary Passes

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many parliamentary passes are allocated to the Leader of the Opposition's staff; how many were allocated in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Leaders of the Opposition are allocated 18 parliamentary passes. In the last four years Leaders of the Opposition have taken full advantage of this facility. Currently 17 passes are issued and one is pending issue.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his practice is regarding meeting, discussions with and taking into account the views and opinions of  (a) private individuals and  (b) representatives of organisations when drawing up and framing legislation to be introduced by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office seeks a full range of views when drawing up and framing legislation. Consultation is a key part of the policy-making process; both informal and formal.
	Since it was established in 1999, the only primary legislation which the Department has taken forward has been the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004. This was preceded by a public consultation which was issued in December 2001.

Arms Trade

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what transit and trans-shipment licences have been issued since 2003 for the movement of military goods from Bosnia via the UK to other destinations; what type of goods was covered within each licence; and what the final destination goods was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 13 July 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 129-130W.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the costs of the restructuring proposals for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Following consultation with stakeholders, NERC announced in March that it will implement plans to ensure that CEH can contribute to UK environmental science on a sustainable basis in the future. NERC has estimated that the costs involved will be £43 million over four years, including £7 million investment in new facilities at the retained sites. Details of the NERC announcement are set out at http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/latestpressrelease/2006-13ceh.asp.

Droit de Suite

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of Droit de Suite on  (a) the London and  (b) the British art market; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A study into the potential impact on the British art market was carried out prior to the implementation of the directive introducing Droit de Suite. The report of its findings and the Regulatory Impact Assessment which was prepared during the implementation are available on the Patent Office website. This study did not consider the London art market separately.
	A further study is being commissioned to assess the actual impact following our implementation of the directive. This will be undertaken during 2006-07.

Energy Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library  (a) copies of the presentation made to him on energy policy options by the Department of Trade and Industry energy team on 15 May and  (b) details of the departmental officials present at the presentation; and what reasons underlay the choice of the graphs and bar charts on energy usage posted on his departmental website following the presentation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Review reported on 11 July. Information relating to the review, including the review document "The Energy Challenge", is available on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review
	Publishing details of the departmental officials present at the meeting on 15 May would risk exposing individual civil servants unfairly to public scrutiny, when they are unable to answer potential criticism.

Wind Turbines

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the long-term visual impact of wind turbines on local communities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All section 36 wind farm applications that fall to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to consider will be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment which will cover the impact both during construction and operation of the station. Visual impact is obviously one of the impacts considered.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures are in place for preventing waste and embezzlement of UK funds for reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Gareth Thomas: DFID as a whole has robust accounting and financial management procedures, governed primarily by HM Treasury's Government Accounting Manual and developed over 40 years of ODA/DFID experience. As a member of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, DFID also complies with good international practice on aid management. We are applying both these systems and good practice in Afghanistan, and are also working closely with other Government Departments to ensure good practice and financial compliance in managing funds.
	DFID currently channels around 75 per cent. of its £102 million programme to Afghanistan through the Government's budget. This helps the Government of Afghanistan to deliver essential public services and to strengthen its public financial management systems. Most of this goes through the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). DFID has committed £165 million to the ARTF over the next three years (2006-07 to 2008-09). The ARTF is administered by the World Bank. They reimburse the Government of Afghanistan for expenditures that meet strict eligibility criteria in order to reduce the risk of waste and corruption. The World Bank considers both the type of expenditures and the process by which it was spent. An independent monitoring agent, (currently PricewaterhouseCoopers) monitors and reports on this to ensure it is effective.

Africa (UK Assistance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK provides for organic cotton production in Africa.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	DFID has funded organisations such as Pesticide Action Network UK in support of organic cotton production in Africa. A study financed by DFID in 1998, highlighted positive developments in the organic cotton sector in Uganda. The UK also provides indirect support to organic cotton production in Africa through, for example, the European Union and its EU-Africa Partnership on Cotton.
	DFID is supporting broader African agriculture in a number of ways, which includes support for organic cotton production. Much of this support to individual countries is targeted at country's own priorities and plans. DFID is also assisting to the Africa Union/New Partnership for Africa's Development (AU/NEPAD) Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme to boost agricultural growth.

Africa (UK Assistance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK aid programme offers to the development of links between rural and urban markets in Africa.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	Links between rural and urban markets are important for economic growth and for allowing the poor to participate in that growth. One of the key constraints is the poor state of infrastructure linking rural and urban areas.
	DFID is helping a number of countries in Africa to improve their road networks to link rural and urban markets. This includes specific projects to improve roads and transport services in countries such as Nigeria and Ghana in addition to budget support for implementation of country's own infrastructure plans.
	DFID support to information and communications technology (ICT) is also helping to build effective links between rural and urban markets. For example, the DFID-supported Business Linkage Challenge Fund is helping boost the outreach of mobile banking in Kenya.
	The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa was launched in London as a multi-donor initiative in October 2005. This is addressing regional infrastructure constraints to connecting markets across Africa, which will impact on rural-urban links. The UK has committed US $20 million for the work of the consortium.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in establishing the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit; and what its  (a) composition,  (b) budget and  (c) line of accountability will be.

Hilary Benn: The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) was established at the end of 2004 to help improve the United Kingdom's capacity to contribute to achieving a stable environment in countries emerging from conflict. It seeks to do so by working closely with Government Departments and the military to help (a) facilitate joint military-civilian assessments of the immediate challenges and opportunities in such countries; (b) facilitate joint military and civilian planning; (c) share lessons to further improve the effectiveness of UK activities in helping to stabilise countries and (d) enhance Her Majesty's Government's capability to deploy civilians overseas to develop and oversee implementation of these plans during their initial stages.
	In the year since it became operational, the PCRU's achievements include:
	Facilitating an assessment and plan for the UK's engagement in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. It has provided seven staff and consultants over the last six months to support implementation of this plan in areas such as security, justice and governance, prior to the establishment of longer-term staffing by DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO);
	Providing the majority of the staff of the strategic delivery unit in the British embassy in Kabul which helps ensure the overall coherence of UK assistance in Afghanistan;
	Providing the team leader and support staff for the UK-led provincial reconstruction team in Basra which co-ordinates and helps deliver UK, US and Danish capacity building assistance to the Iraqi Government in the south, focusing on Basra Province;
	Providing advice in other areas such as UK security and justice sector work in Yemen and assisting the AU/AMIS in the development of an initial six month communications strategy for the Darfur Peace Agreement; and
	working with the Permanent Joint Headquarters in military exercises to demonstrate the value of integrated civilian/military planning.
	Currently, the PCRU has 28 personnel drawn from five Government Departments and agencies including DFID, FCO, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and HM Treasury. In responding to requests for deployment this is supplemented by drawing on its database of 400 experts. The unit's £10 million budget for 2006-07 finances core staff, deployment of these staff and consultant experts and associated vehicles and communications.
	The unit's work is overseen by the Defence and Overseas Policy (Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction) Committee (DOP (CPR)). The DFID permanent secretary is accountable for staffing and finance.

Water

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) foreign-owned and  (b) British-owned businesses and consultancies have worked with his Department on water provision for the urban poor in the developing world since 1997.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	DFID does not maintain records of the ownership of businesses and consultancies that have worked with us in the urban water sector since 1997. Our investments are developed through close working with a range of stakeholders, such as national and local governments overseas, other donors, civil society organisations and private sector companies.
	We provided a total of £221 million of development assistance in 2003-04 for water and sanitation. £131 million of this was bilateral expenditure, of which approximately one-fifth was spent on urban water supply, one-quarter on rural water supply and one-fifth on humanitarian assistance.

Wildlife Habitats

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government monitors the loss of wildlife habitats in urban areas.

Barry Gardiner: The Government do not specifically monitor the loss of wildlife habitats in urban areas. However, the recently published report on progress under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan suggests that the last three years have seen more positive signs of progress. The list of priority species and habitats is also being reviewed to ensure that the UK Biodiversity Action Plan remains responsive to both new information and conservation needs.

British Sugar Plant (Shropshire)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will visit Shrewsbury to discuss with local sugar beet farmers the closure of the main British Sugar plant in Shropshire.

Barry Gardiner: My noble Friend Lord Rooker has already met with growers' representatives at both national and local level to discuss these planned factory closures.

Biodiversity

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department gives farmers to manage land in ways that promote greater biodiversity.

Ian Pearson: The Government provides over £300 million a year to farmers through agri-environment schemes such as Environmental Stewardship to promote greater biodiversity.

Correspondence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reply to the letters from the Assistant Director for Planning of Bridgend county borough council (BCBC) dated 9 August 2005, 26 August 2005 and 19 October 2005 and from the Chief Executive of BCBC dated 7 December 2005, 11 January 2006 and 4 April 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, replied to Kerrie Lewis, the Chief Executive of BCBC on 27 June 2006.
	This letter has been copied to both the hon. Member and the Assistant Director for Planning of BCBC.

2012 Olympics

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the level of capital funding local authorities intend to spend on sports facilities in the period leading up to the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	It is estimated that local authorities in England plan to spend £621 million on sports and recreation services in 2006-07. No estimates of planned local authority spending on sports facilities are available for later years.

Sports Funding

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding that will be spent on sport in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue net current expenditure that will be spent on sport in the current financial year is tabled as follows. The figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Financial year  Capital  Revenue 
			 2006-07 3.6 0.7 
		
	
	The capital figures are based on forecast data from Capital Estimate Returns (CER) for 2006-07.
	The revenue data are as reported by local authorities and are taken from Revenue Account budget (RA) returns for 2006-07.
	The definition of council revenue net current expenditure used here is that expenditure on employees and running expenses net of sales, fees and charges, internal recharges, other non-grant income (such as receipts from other authorities), but gross of expenditure funded by specific grants and interest receipts.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities and method of reporting the information. In particular, budget data for 2006-07 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.

Sports Funding

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding that was spent on sport in each of the last five financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue net current expenditure that was spent on sport and recreation in each of the last five financial years is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Financial year  Capital  Revenue 
			 2001-02 3.2 0.9 
			 2002-03 2.7 0.9 
			 2003-04 2.1 0.7 
			 2004-05 2.1 0.7 
			 2005-06 2.8 0.7 
		
	
	The capital figures are based on final outturn data from Capital Outturn Returns (COR) for 2001-02 to 2004-05 and on provisional outturn data from Capital Payments Returns (CPR4) for 2005-06.
	The revenue data are as reported by local authorities and are taken from Revenue Outturn (RO) and Revenue Summary (RS) returns for 2001-02 to 2004-05, and Revenue Account budget (RA) returns for 2005-06.
	The definition of council revenue net current expenditure used here is that expenditure on employees and running expenses net of sales, fees and charges, internal recharges, other non-grant income (such as receipts from other authorities), but gross of expenditure funded by specific grants and interest receipts.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities and method of reporting the information. In particular, the revenue outturn data for 2001-02 to 2002-03 have been calculated on a non-FRS (Financial Reporting Standard) 17 basis while the outturn data for 2003-04 to 2004-05 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. The budget data for 2005-06 are a mix of FRS 17 and non-FRS 17. This is because for their 2005-06 budget forms local authorities, after consultation, were given the option to complete their forms either on a non-FRS 17 basis or on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Solicitor-General what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Serious Fraud Office, the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
	For the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the figures available are as follows (all figures include VAT):
	 The COMPASS programme
	The COMPASS programme is a 10 year public finance initiative partnership between the CPS and LogicaCMG to modernise information technology within the CPS.
	 (a) When the COMPASS contract was awarded (December 2001 to begin April 2002) the value was estimated at approximately £240 million over the period of the contract, based on the parameters at the time such as the number of sites and users and the legislative environment.
	 (b) The estimated outturn cost to the end of the contract is £408 million.
	 (c) The outturn cost as at 31 March 2006 is £122 million.
	The difference between the original estimate and the most recent estimate of the cost of the contract reflects: higher staff numbers, a larger number of locations where COMPASS is available, improvements in service levels and the development of a new system to support witness care units, none of which could have been anticipated when the contract was let.
	 Finance and accounting record management system (FARMS)
	FARMS is the CPS's finance and accounting record management system.
	 (a) Original estimate for full life costs based on "best and final offer" September 2003: £9.723 million.
	 (b) Revised estimate for full life costs based as at March 2005: £10.195 million.
	 (c) Outturn to 31 March 2006: £6.103 million.
	Managed service and support costs are indexed at 3 per cent. pa. The five year managed service contract commenced August 2004 and finishes July 2009.
	Other, smaller contracts (for example the payroll and HR systems and the corporate information system) began over five years ago and have subsequently been incorporated into the wider COMPASS programme.
	For the Treasury Solicitor's Department the following table shows the originally estimated, most recently estimated and outturn cost of the five largest IT contracts agreed in with outside suppliers over the last five years.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   £000  
			  Contract  Original estimate (a)  Most recent estimate (b)  Outturn cost (c)  Comments 
			 1. Practice and Case Management System Development 2,061 2,061 2,346 Contract for development of system concluded December 2004. 
			  
			 2. Lexis Nexis Legal Information Subscription Services 1,548 1,548 1,012 3year index-linked subscription service contract, currently in 3rd year, hence reduced outturn cost. TSol recharges 77.5 per cent. of total cost. 
			  
			 3. Lawtel Legal Information Subscription Services 623 623 405 3yr index-linked subscription service contract, currently in 3rd year, hence reduced outturn cost. TSol recharges 77.5 per cent. of total cost. 
			  
			 4. OKS Accommodation Move Desktop Refresh 566 566 414 Includes cost of purchase of workstation equipment minus £20,000 buy-back on existing workstations. 
			  
			 5. Hardware Contract for Practice and Case Management System 547 401 384 Storage Area Network costs for implementation 
		
	
	The following table shows the five companies that the Serious Fraud Office has made the largest payments to from financial year 2001-02 to 2005-06 inclusive.
	
		
			  Total expenditure 2001-05 
			  Company  £ 
			 Legal Inc 870,256 
			 Computacentre 2,086,249 
			 IBM UK 6,954,409 
			 Logica 2,743,972 
			 RWM Data 1,672,439 
		
	
	These contracts are all for ongoing IT or technology related services and not for discrete projects. Expenditure is controlled by purchase orders and annual budgets, so the question of estimated and outturn expenditure does not arise.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office was established as a new Department on 18 April 2005. Since it's creation RCPO has procured the majority of its information technology services from HM Revenue and Customs. The outturn cost of these services during 2005-06 was £1.9 million. In addition to these services RCPO has used IS consultants in relation to specific projects. Their total cost during 2005-06 was £0.13 million. The Department has recently created a new post, Head of Information Services, and this was filled on 3 May 2006 initially on a six month by an IT professional with 18 years experience in the IT industry and with technical, project management and service delivery expertise. He also has considerable experience in working with UK central Government. As well as receiving a considerable amount of technical and professional training from a previous employee, IBM, he has a Diploma in Business Studies.
	The information technology requirements of HM Crown Prosecution Services Inspectorate are provided through the services of CPS service desk and their provider Logica.
	The only IT investment undertaken through our own budget relates to the design/development and improvement/updating of the HMCPSI website. Over the last four years a total of £22,264 (incl. VAT) has been spent on this work.

Concessionary Travel

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance the Government have given to local authorities on the treatment of money allocated to councils for the concessionary travel scheme but not spent; and whether such under-spending should be returned to central Government.

Phil Woolas: The Government have issued no guidance to local authorities on the treatment of money for concessionary fares.
	Local authorities' responsibilities for concessionary fares are funded through general grant from Government (consisting mainly of Revenue Support Grant and re-distributed National Non Domestic Rates) and through income generated by authorities, including council tax. General grant is not hypothecated to a particular service and councils are free to use the funding in line with the wishes of their electorate, taking into account their statutory responsibilities.

Council Tax

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1800W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on council tax, how many copies of council tax bills were received by  (a) registered and  (b) recorded post at (i) Eland House and (ii) 26 Whitehall; and how many of the written representations about council tax included copies of council tax bills.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to identify reliably which documents received by registered or recorded post by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister were copies of council tax bills. Approximately 1,700 of the copies of council tax bills received came with a separate written representation enclosed.

Departmental Estate

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006. Since that time the ministerial office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not been decorated.
	There is no redecoration programme in the DCLR HQ buildings, with all such work being carried out on an ad-hoc basis following routine inspections by the Facilities Management team. The dates of redecoration of any particular area during the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Draft Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her practice is regarding meeting, discussing and taking into account the views and opinions of  (a) private individuals and  (b) representatives of organisations, when drawing up and framing legislation to be introduced by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department always seeks a full range of views when drawing up and framing legislation. Consultation is a key part of the policy making process; both informal and formal. The Department holds regular meetings with representatives of the principal stakeholder groups for our policy areas and with relevant experts. Organisations and individuals can also contribute to the Department's formal consultations which abide by the Code of Conduct on Consultation. Known stakeholders are generally alerted when a formal consultation is taking place. As required by the code, the Department then gives feedback on the responses received and on how the consultation process influenced the policy decision.
	For example the 'Greater London Authority: Proposals for Additional Powers' consultation ran from 30 November 2005 to 22 February 2006. Copies of the consultation paper were circulated to over 400 organisations and individuals with an interest in London's governance, and to all main public libraries in London. The proposals were also made publicly available on the DCLG and GLA websites. In addition the Minister for London hosted two seminars as part of the overall review attended by a range of stakeholders. DCLG received 337 consultation responses and a summary of responses was published on 13 July 2006 alongside our conclusions on what new powers the GLA should be given. Most of these will be enacted by primary or secondary legislation and we intend to undertake further consultation as part of the implementation process.

Litter Collection (Swindon)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to Swindon borough council for litter collection in 2006-07.

Phil Woolas: Waste collection is one of the district-level services included in the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block. The EPCS block is one of seven service blocks supported via Formula Grant. Formula Grant comprises Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed Business Rates and principal formula Police Grant. Formula Grant is an unhypothecated block grant i.e. authorities are able to use the money for any service. This, together with the way that Formula Grant is calculated, particularly the application of floor damping, means that it is not possible to say how much grant was provided for environmental, protective and cultural services.

Minimum Dig Working

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to encourage local authorities  (a) to join and  (b) to participate in the activities of societies and other bodies associated with minimum dig working;
	(2)  what steps she has taken to ensure that local authorities inform their staff of the availability of trenchless technology for underground works on council services.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Decisions on highways maintenance are a matter for the individual highway authority.
	The Department welcomes local authority participation in professional bodies which promote the adoption of best practice in highway maintenance. Through the UK Roads Board, my officials have regular contact with the County Surveyors' Society and the local authority Technical Advisors Group, which represent engineers from a wide range of local authorities. Last year, the Board published 'Well-maintained Highways' (TSO, July 2005), a code of practice for highway maintenance management, which encourages both a focus on the needs of road users and continuous improvement in delivery (which includes effective staff training).

Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements councils are under to publish  (a) their parking accounts and  (b) a statement of their parking enforcement activities.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Councils are currently under no obligation to publish their parking accounts or a statement of their parking enforcement activities. The current public consultation "Better Parking—Keeping Traffic Moving", launched on 12 July 2006, proposes that English councils with decriminalised parking enforcement powers should publish annual reports containing financial and statistical data about their parking activities.
	The consultation document is available in the Libraries of the House and on the Department for Transport website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/divisionhomepage/612002.hcsp.

Population Estimates

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact on local authorities of the mid-year population estimates; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Population data supplied by the Office for National Statistics are used throughout the formula grant distribution system. Both population projections and mid-year estimates are used in relative needs formula indicators. Population projections are also used to determine the relative needs amount, relative resource amount and central allocation as these are calculated on a per head basis. The distribution of formula grant is also affected by the social and economic characteristics of an area, a council's relative ability to raise council tax and floor damping.
	Department for Communities and Local Government officials have met a number of local authorities, including Slough, to discuss their concerns on their mid-year population estimates. However, the ONS population figures remain the best data available on a consistent basis for all authorities.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public appointments are within her patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Angela Smith: Details of public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government can be found in 'Public Bodies', copies of which are in the Library. 'Public Bodies' has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of 'Public Bodies' contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006 as a result of Machinery of Government changes, its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was formed in May 2002. Therefore comparable figures are not available.
	Current details held centrally, on the remuneration attached to each Chair and Board Member correct at 31 March 2006 is set out in the following table. The information covers those bodies that fall under the remit of the Commissioner for Pubic Appointments.
	
		
			  Advisory NDPBs 
			  Public Body  Chair (£)  Members (£)  Time Input 
			 Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils 213 pd 163 pd 25 dpy 
			15 dpy 
			 Advisory Panel on Standards in the Planning Inspectorate 213 pd 163 pd 2 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Building Regulations Advisory Committee Unpaid Unpaid 35 dpy varies 
			 Community Forum Unpaid 163 pd 4 dpy 
			12 dpy 
			 Women's National Commission (recently transferred to DCLG) 10,000 pa Unpaid 5 dpm 
			2 dpm (maximum attendance) 
		
	
	
		
			  Executive NDPBs 
			  Public Body  Chair/Deputy Chair (£)  Members/Members with additional duties (£)  Time Input 
			 Audit Commission 57,896 pa 13,508 pa/18,011 pa 2 dpw 
			3 dpm/4 dpm 
			 Commission for Racial Equality (recently transferred to DCLG) 128,625 pa 160 pd 5 dpw 
			20-30 dpy 
			 English Partnerships 82,390 pa/35,864 pa 11,743 pa 3 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission (recently transferred to DCLG) 96,600 pa/l0,360 pa 160 pd 161 dpy/40 dpy 
			30 dpy 
			 FireBuy 6,000 pa/4,000 pa 4,000 pa 3 dpm/2 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Housing Action Trust Stonebridge 35,913 pa/12,184 pa 7,130 pa 2 dpw/1 dpw 
			0.5 dpw 
			 Housing Corporation 47,399 pa/27,109 pa 12,362 pa/14,993 pa 2 dpw/4 dpm 
			2 dpm/2 dpm 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service Unpaid Unpaid 1 dpm 
			1 dpm 
			 London Thames Gateway Development Corporation 45,775 pa/34,450 pa 11,574 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Standards Board for England 40,000 pa/10,480 pa 7,130 pa 2 dpw/2.5 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Thurrock Urban Development Corporation 46,690 pa/35,074 pa 11,805 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Valuation Tribunal Service 54,000 pa/262 pd 262 pd 3 dpw/20 dpy 
			15 dpy 
			 West Northants Development Corporation 44,528 pa/33,450 pa 11,259 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
		
	
	
		
			  Public Corporations 
			  Public Body  Chair/Deputy Chair (£)  Members (£)  Time Input 
			 Architects Registration Board 250 pd 250 pd 20 dpy 
			  Key pa = per annum pd = per day dpw = days per week dpm = days per month dpy = days per year

Roads and Pavements

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of each local authority for road and pavement maintenance was in each of the last two years; and what the overspend or underspend of each was in each year.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on local authorities' highway maintenance budgets is not held centrally.
	The Department provides capital maintenance funding to English local highways authorities, outside London, for investment in their highway network, including its structures and street lighting. It is for each local authority to determine how their allocations are spent, in line with their priorities.

Supporting People Strategy

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to publish the Supporting People National Strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I published an initial strategy paper for consultation, "Creating Sustainable Communities" in November of last year. Following extensive consultation, I published "Supporting Independence: Next Steps in our Supporting People Strategy" on the 11 July this year, which outlined a number of potential areas for development of the programme. A final strategy is currently being developed, and is planned for publication in the autumn.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representatives from the Valuation Office Agency attended the IRRV conference in Blackpool in May; and to what extent they participated.

Phil Woolas: Ministers are responsible for Government policy. The actions of, and naming of, individual civil servants are not matters for public discussion.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme tariff is being applied in the same way in relation to mental ill health and physical injury; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: holding answer 14 July 2006
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is a tariff based scheme designed to provide compensation for service personnel injured, made ill or killed through service since 6 April 2005. The tariffs cover the full range of injuries, physical and mental, likely to affect service personnel. The Scheme is administered by the Veterans Agency which applies the same determination process to all conditions whether physical or mental. An evaluation of all aspects of the first year of operation of the Scheme is currently being; carried out involving interested parties, one of which is Combat Stress. The evaluation will be in the light of experience and evidence of cases arising so far, including those who have suffered from mental health issues.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 703W, on Colombia, whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which the training given for the disposal of explosive devices is within the de-mining framework of the Human Rights Programme of the Colombian Vice-Presidency and the anti personnel mines observatory; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The explosive device disposal assistance provided to the Colombian armed forces by the MOD through its humanitarian de-mining training sits very well within the de-mining framework of the Human Rights Programme of the Colombian Vice-Presidency. The work of the latter is done through the Anti-Personnel Mines Observatory, as the Colombian Government's vehicle for the application of the Ottawa Convention.
	The Observatory aims to achieve its goals by following an action plan that includes: the generation of knowledge and information on landmine issues, prevention, assistance to victims and removal of mines; promoting the solidarity of the international community for developing national actions in applying the Ottawa convention; education work to help prevention; promoting humanitarian de-mining; and regulating, disseminating, promoting, applying and monitoring various aspects of the De-mining National Plan, including the Regime of Collection and Destruction of anti-personnel mines.
	MOD personnel providing de-mining training enter into consultation with personnel from the Anti-Personnel Mines Observatory to ensure the training we give ties-in with their action plan. MOD humanitarian de-mining training affects the removal of mines, and promotes public education and awareness of landmine issues. Thus it is well positioned to meet a number of the Vice President's priorities.
	The humanitarian de-mining training provided by the MOD in 2006 conformed to the International Mines Action Standards (IMAS) 2005. This is the acknowledged international standard approved by the UN and is used worldwide. We have an aspiration that for future courses Colombian students will gain IMAS accreditation through such training.

Nuclear Deterrent

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he was first informed of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's public commitment to retention of the nuclear deterrent in the long-term.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1107W.

Review Board for Government Contracts

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 99WS, on the report by the Review Board for Government Contracts, when he will place a copy of the report in the Library.

Adam Ingram: Hard copies of the Review Board's 2006 Annual Review, published by The Stationery Office (TSO), will be placed in the Library this week. An electronic copy of the report is available on the main MOD website at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/Reports/ReportsForBusiness/ReviewBoardGovContracts/.

Crime Statistics

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under 18-year-olds were convicted of illegally carrying  (a) knives and  (b) other weapons in each year since 1990, broken down by police authority; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of under 18-year-olds found guilty for selected offences relating to the illegal possession and carrying of knives and other weapons are provided in the following table (which will be placed in the Library).
	Data for offence code 827 for West Mercia police force area includes some coding errors between the years 2000 and 2004 and has been excluded from the table.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences related to the illegal carrying of knives, guns and other weapons, by police force area, England and Wales, 2004 
			   Offences 
			  Police force area  514-516  517-519  813-815  816-818  823-825  81  826  827  811  828 
			 Avon and Somerset — — 1 1 — 4 28 — 14 1 
			 Bedfordshire — — — — 1 2 6 1 15 — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — — — 6 — 6 — 
			 Cheshire — — — — — 4 9 — 22 — 
			 Cleveland — — — — 1 — 11 1 16 — 
			 Cumbria — — — — — — 8 — 5 — 
			 Derbyshire — — — — 1 10 17 — 13 — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — — — 3 6 17 — 13 1 
			 Dorset — — — — — 2 6 — 6 — 
			 Durham — — — — 1 3 19 — 16 — 
			 Essex — — — 1 — 4 44 1 41 2 
			 Gloucestershire — — 1 — — 2 8 — 7 — 
			 Greater Manchester 1 — 3 — 16 14 68 — 72 2 
			 Hampshire — — — — 5 4 42 2 30 2 
			 Hertfordshire — — — — — 2 20 — 17 — 
			 Humberside — — — 3 2 2 13 1 22 — 
			 Kent — — — — — — 1 — 26 — 
			 Lancashire — — — — 2 2 35 4 32 2 
			 Leicestershire — — — — — 3 17 1 21 — 
			 Lincolnshire — — — — 2 — 6 1 14 — 
			 London, City of — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside — — — 3 5 7 29 1 39 — 
			 Metropolitan police — — 5 4 7 48 234 5 304 3 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — 9 — 11 — 
			 Northampton — — — — — 1 13 — 8 — 
			 Northumbria — — — — 1 — — — 4 — 
			 North Yorkshire — — 2 — 4 5 54 3 57 4 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — 1 4 4 20 — 27 — 
			 South Yorkshire 1 — 1 — 6 4 17 1 27 — 
			 Staffordshire — — 1 — — 3 10 1 23 1 
			 Suffolk — — — — 1 3 13 — 4 — 
			 Surrey 2 — — — — 1 10 — 9 — 
			 Sussex — — — 1 2 2 23 — 24 — 
			 Thames Valley — — — — — 2 17 1 13 — 
			 Warwickshire — — — — 1 — 4 1 8 — 
			 West Mercia — — — — 2 2 3 — 11 — 
			 West Midlands — 1 1 4 4 5 66 1 73 — 
			 West Yorkshire 2 — 2 1 3 10 44 — 55 — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — — 2 10 — 7 — 
			 Dyfed Powys — — — — — 1 3 — 6 — 
			 Gwent 1 — — — 1 1 10 1 16 — 
			 North Wales — — — — — 3 7 — 13 — 
			 South Wales — — — — 6 3 15 — 34 — 
			 England and Wales 7 1 17 19 81 171 992 27 1,181 18

DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 281W, on the National DNA Database, 
	(1)  if he will break down by country the number of requests made;
	(2)  how many of the requests were complied with;
	(3)  on what basis such information is provided; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reasons such requests have been  (a) made and  (b) granted; and what criteria are used to decide whether to grant such a request.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 28 June 2006
	The majority of requests for the exchange of DNA information between the United Kingdom and other countries are routed through the United Kingdom National Central Bureau for Interpol (UK NCB) based at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Other channels may include bi-lateral direct liaison between law enforcement authorities: and formal mutual legal assistance channels. Exchanges of DMA information via these channels will almost always be a response to the needs of a specific criminal investigation.
	Requests from international law enforcement agencies for a search of the National DMA Database are only processed where it is clear that the request is in the interest of prevention and detection of crime, national security or the data subject. They are also subject to a risk assessment, taking into account the justification for and proportionality of disclosure of the information in line with human rights. If cleared for processing, a one-off speculative search of the Database is made by the Custodian and information fed back to UK NCB.
	The UK NCB is not currently able to provide data on the number of requests received from other countries but only on the number of requests processed and dealt with by the Database Custodian. As indicated in the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 281W, 519 search requests have been dealt with by the Database Custodian since 2004 and responses provided back to UK NCB in each case (this includes searches of the UK DNA Database at the request of other countries as well as preparing profiles in order for UK law enforcement agencies to request searches overseas).
	Data on the countries to which DNA profiles have been sent and on the number of profiles sent to other countries in pursuit of specific criminal investigations could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the majority of the data is not currently held electronically. This information will be available later this year following the introduction of a new data collection system (this will not apply to retrospective data). However, it is estimated that international DNA searches are requested on two to three occasions each week (this includes requests received from abroad and requests made by the UK for searches in other countries).
	Data is not collected on the number of exchanges of DMA information which occur through direct liaison between law enforcement authorities or formal mutual legal assistance channels.

Human Trafficking

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set-up a nationwide adoption of standardised protocols aimed at increasing human trafficking victims identification and protection in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The question of a national referral mechanism is one which is under consideration as part of the current discussions as a result of the responses received to our consultation paper "Tackling Human Trafficking". We recognise that prompt and accurate identification of victims of trafficking is essential to the provision of appropriate care and support services to the victims of human trafficking.
	To this end we have both developed, in consultation with non-government organisations, a best practice toolkit for front line immigration and police officers and other professionals who may come into contact with potential victims, and continue to work in partnership with the voluntary and community sector to establish a framework of support for victims who have been trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
	Additionally we launched on 21 June, the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC). The establishment of UKHTC came as a result of the success of operation Pentameter, a national police led multi-agency operation which aimed to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation and which led to 234 people being arrested. Of these132 people have been charged, to date, with offences connected to trafficking.
	Following on from the success of Operation Pentameter the UKHTC will support the overarching aim of moving the United Kingdom to a leading position in relation to the prevention and investigation of trafficking in human beings. It will also become a central point for the development of police expertise and operational co-ordination.

Identity Register

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for the procurement of the National Identity Register by the Identity and Passport Service; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Government are committed to the rapid introduction of identity cards and the establishment of the National Identity Register but, as we have always made clear, this is an incremental process and will be implemented in a phased way. Royal Assent of the Identity Cards Act 2006 and creation of the Identity and Passport Service have enabled the Government to begin firming up plans for the delivery of the identity cards scheme including plans for procurement of the National Identity Register.
	We have actively engaged the industry in dialogue about our procurement approach/options and industry feedback has been valuable in informing our emerging thinking. We will be publishing the National Identity Scheme Procurement Strategy Market Soundings Feedback Report in August 2006 and will update the market further as our plans develop.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) suicides and  (b) incidents of non-fatal self-harm have occurred in (i) adult prisons, (ii) young offender institutions and (iii) juvenile custody units in England and Wales in each of the last nine years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested with respect to apparent self-inflicted deaths is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			  Establishment type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Prison(1) 55 75 73 71 65 90 90 92 69 
			 Young Offender Institution (YOI) 9 7 11 9 7 5 3 3 9 
			 Juvenile custody(2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 (1) 'Prison' includes category B locals, male and female closed establishments, category C prisons, dispersal prisons, mixed locals, open prisons, semi-open prisons, remand centres and holding centres.(2 )Juvenile custody includes juvenile prisons, Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children's Homes (SCHs). Note: The table above shows the number of apparent self-inflicted deaths. This includes all deaths where it appears the individual acted specifically to take their own life, not only those that received a suicide or open verdict at inquest. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			  Prison type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Prison 1265 2719 3038 4182 6859 8912 14534 17346 19390 
			 YOI 141 276 361 441 441 667 1118 1250 1434 
			 Juvenile custody(1) 14 19 56 215 269 275 446 587 622 
			 (1 )Juvenile custody units run by the Prison Service use a wide definition of self-harm that includes all acts of self-injury, however serious (n.b. the same definition applies to the prison and YOI data). The data included from STCs and SCHs is mainly based on a definition of self-harm that includes self-harm incidents which represent significant events such that they are reportable under the Children's Homes Regulations. Two STCs and two SCHs, however, use a definition of self-harm similar to the Prison Service. Some STCs and SCHs were unable to provide this data for the earlier period covered by this Question because either the information was not collected, or only the total number of recorded incidents was collected (i.e. not only self-harm incidents; in which case it represented disproportionate cost to examine each incident report). In the future the YJB will provide clear definitions and recording requirements with respect to self-harm. Note: A new form specifically for reporting self-harm (the F213SH) was introduced in Prison Service establishments in December 2002 (i.e. in prisons, YOIs and juvenile prisons). The rise in reported self-ham from 2003 may therefore partly reflect improved reporting rather than an actual increase in self-harm incidents. Prior to December 2002. Self-harm was reported using the general incident reporting form (the F213), which resulted in significant under-reporting. The data from 2003 onwards cannot therefore be directly compared to earlier years.

Aquaculture Projects (Orkney and Shetland)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many aquaculture projects pay rent to the Crown Estate in Orkney and Shetland; and what total annual income has been generated from such rents in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The Crown Estate has issued 28 aquaculture leases for Orkney and 187 aquaculture leases for Shetland total annual income figure generated from fish farming over the past three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Fish farming 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Orkney  Shetland  Total 
			 2003-04 50,900 598,000 648,900 
			 2004-05 111,000 885,100 996,100 
			 2005-06 (1)132,000 518,000 650,000 
			 (1) The Orkney fish farming rental income for 2005-06 includes a post-audit payment of £34,000 in settlement of outstanding rent from production of fish in 2003.

Anti-terrorism Capacity Building

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance programmes the Department has in place to support anti-terrorism capacity building in other countries; what funds are allocated to this task; and in which countries the programmes are located.

Kim Howells: Through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Counter Terrorism (CT) Programme of the Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), the Department directly supports the Government's Counter Terrorism strategy as outlined in the Command Paper presented to the House on 10 July 2006. The aim of the strategy is to reduce the risk from international terrorism so that people can go about their daily lives freely and with confidence. The GOF CT programme focuses activity under four principle strands: prevent, pursue, protect and prepare.
	Funding for financial year 2005-06 was £7.7 million and this financial year is £8.6 million. Since our programme contains classified elements, including the list of our priority assistance recipients, we are unable to give full information on all our assistance programmes. However, our work is focussed in the following regions: the Middle East and North Africa; the East and Horn of Africa; South-East Asia and South Asia.
	Typical projects include:
	"operational CT assistance" primarily delivered bilaterally by UK counter terrorism experts in Government, the police and military; these are focussed in areas such as CT law enforcement, forensic training, CT crisis management, aviation and maritime security training, hostage and crisis negotiation, VIP protection and bomb disposal;
	"UN Security Council Resolution 1373 CT assistance" in support of the work of the UN CT Committee; assistance programmes are delivered to raise standards of CT capacity in the areas of CT legislation, combating the financing of terrorism, charity regulation, border control and counter proliferation.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support her Department has given to Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to attend functions funded by the Government; what assessment she has made of Sheikh Al-Qaradawi' views on  (a) the use of force against UK forces in Iraq and  (b) the use of suicide attacks elsewhere in the Middle East; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) facilitated and helped fund a "Muslims of Europe Conference" in Istanbul on 1-2 July which was organised and led by a steering group of European Muslim scholars and civil society representatives. The steering group set the agenda and chose the participants. A wide variety of international Muslim scholars attended, including Sheikh Al-Qaradawi. As with all other participants, the FCO paid for travel and accommodation costs.
	Sheikh Al-Qaradawi has expressed views on the use of violence in the Middle East with which we certainly do not agree. Unless all leaders in society deliver a clear renunciation of violence as the solution to the problems in the Middle East, and a commitment to political processes to resolve conflicts, the cycle of hate will only continue. The FCO is working to bring influential leaders together to encourage the debate on the unacceptability of violence. The culminating Declaration of the Muslims of Europe Conference, which was agreed by all its participants, contained a strong renunciation of violence and terrorism. The full text is available on the following website: www.muslimsofeurope.com/topkapi.php.

Adult Education

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the reasons are for the change in levels of funding for adult education in Gravesend; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Since 1997 we have increased investment in further education (FE) by £2.5 billion—around 48 per cent. in real terms. Overall we are broadly maintaining funding for adults programmes at £2.9 million although this will increasing be focused on our priorities. I announced on 21 October 2005 our priorities for post-16 learning which are: raising participation and achievement of young people; driving down the skills deficit in adult workforce; and ensuring a wide range of learning opportunities at Level 3. I also reaffirmed our commitment to safeguard the funding for personal and community development in mainstream FE and local authority funded adult education with a budget of £210 million in 2006/07.
	The 2006/07 funding allocations for providers in the Gravesend area would have taken into account these priorities as well as local circumstances and need. It is essential that funding is prioritised on these areas if we are to address skills weaknesses and improve productivity.
	Providers also have the opportunity, if they succeed in meeting employer needs, to access additional funding through Train to Gain, our new national employer training programme. If successful a provider's net funding position could therefore increase.

Child Care Costs

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department plans to publish the results of its research into numbers of nursery, playgroup and day-care providers whose actual costs of provision for three and four year olds exceed the sum received from Government.

Beverley Hughes: The Department carries out a nationally representative survey of all childcare providers annually to provide a range of data to help monitor progress towards meeting key government targets in the provision of childcare and early years services and to inform the strategic development of policy in this area. The nature of the data collection does not permit separate analysis of costs of provision for three and four year olds for each provider.
	Fieldwork for the 2006 survey is currently under-way and will be completed in early September. Results from the survey will be published in spring 2007 and available on the DFES website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research. Findings from previous years' surveys are also published on the DFES website.
	Future work is under-way in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review considering the impact on the cost of provision of extending the free entitlement to 15 hours per week and increasing flexibility by 2010. My Department has announced that it will be exploring how to extend the entitlement through pathfinders in a selection of local authorities from April 2007. The pathfinders will also consider the funding implications of extending the free entitlement. Evaluation of the pathfinders will be published in due course.

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many final grades at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level were incorrectly awarded and subsequently corrected in each of the past five years.

Jim Knight: Data on the appeals process for the awarding bodies which set and offer GCSE, AS and A Level examinations in England is collected and published annually by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The following tables show the information requested for 2003, 2004, and 2005. Comparable data is not available for previous years.
	The information provided in the following tables is provided at a qualification level for GCSEs and at a unit level for AS and A Levels. This data covers the three English-based awarding bodies which provide these examinations.
	
		
			  GCSE  2003  2004  2005 
			 Number of entries (qualifications) 523,8371 541,2338 533,6919 
			 Enquiries as percentage of entries 0.70 0.80 0.85 
			 Number of enquiries about results 36,686 43,207 45,439 
			 Number of changes to final grades 9,374 9,810 10,628 
			 Changes as percentage of entries 0.18 0.18 0.20 
		
	
	
		
			  A level  2003  2004( 1)  2005( 1) 
			 Number of entries (units)(2) 544,392 6,330,959 6,296,768 
			 Enquiries as percentage of entries 0.95 0.78 0.78 
			 Number of enquiries about results 51,519 49,520 48,828 
			 Number of changes to final grades 6,107 7,263 5,355 
			 Changes as percentage of entries 0.11 0.11 0.09 
			 (1 )The information on A Level examinations for 2004 and 2005 includes AS, A Level and Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE) examinations.(2 )The number of entries for A level examinations is the number of separate units awarded in the summer examination series, rather than the number of complete A level qualifications in that series, as each qualification comprises a number of units, and the final result of each unit can be queried or changed.

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many appeals there were against final grades awarded at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level in each of the past five years.

Jim Knight: Data on the number of appeals is collected annually by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the regulatory authority for the public examinations system in England. The appeals procedure can only be invoked once the Enquiries about Results (EAR) services has been exhausted.
	The following table shows the information requested for 2003, 2004, and 2005 for the awarding bodies based in England which offer GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications. Comparable data is not available for previous years. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of this data by qualification.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 Number of entries (qualifications) 6,946,999 7,221,124 7,200,647 
			 Number of appeals 598 649 730 
			 Appeals as percentage of entries 0.009 0.009 0.010 
			 Number of successful appeals 89 206 100 
			 Successful appeals as percentage of entries 0.001 0.003 0.001

Audiology

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in relation to the decision to exclude audiology from the 18-week waiting time target for treatment.

Ivan Lewis: Representations have been received from various stakeholders, including hon. Members and there has been a great deal of correspondence on the topic.

Avian Influenza

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the potential threat of H5N1 avian influenza to the population of Great Britain.

Rosie Winterton: European Union and United Kingdom (UK) controls are in place aimed at preventing the spread of bird flu. Nonetheless, it remains a remote possibility that bird flu could be introduced to poultry through the migration of wild birds, the illegal importation of dead chickens for consumption, the illegal importation of live birds or the entry into the UK of a person who has acquired the illness in an infected area. The Department, in close collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), maintains an on-going assessment of these risks.
	DEFRA publishes and regularly updates risk assessments on the threat to the UK of introduction of H5N1 from birds which is available in its latest publication, "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 situation in Europe and potential risk factors for the introduction of the virus to the United Kingdom" can be found at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/latest-situation/index.htm
	The Department recently commissioned a report from the Health Protection Agency, "Addressing a Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA) of the Risks Posed to UK Public Health by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1"
	The risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus acquiring the ability to spread more easily from person to person or to spread more readily from birds to people is constantly monitored by the World Health Organisation and its assessments are published on its website at:
	www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html
	The Government have well-developed plans in place to act early in the event of any outbreak of avian influenza in poultry, to put in place measures to contain it, and to protect those workers involved in controlling it. DEFRA has published its contingency plan on its website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/avianinfluenza-contplan.htm

Capital Budget Underspends

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations underspent on their capital budget in 2005-06; and by how much in each case.

Andy Burnham: The 2005-06 provisional outturn is the most recently published data on the national health service's financial position. This data shows that the provisional capital underspend in 2005-06 was £1,162 million. Of the 566 NHS organisations in 2005-06, 494 underspent against their capital budget. A table containing this information is available in the Library.

Community Hospitals

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 819, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority area are based in Victorian workhouse facilities;.
	(2)  pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 826, how many community hospitals have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority area since 1997; and how many are being considered for closure.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Community Hospitals

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 816-7, on community hospitals, if she will ask the South West strategic health authority to assure itself that the proposals from  (a) West Gloucestershire primary care trust to the close the Dilke Memorial hospital and the Lydney and District Community hospital and  (b) the Gloucestershire Partnership Trust to close Colliers Court are not being made in response to short-term budgetary pressures.

Andy Burnham: The Department wrote to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 16 February 2006 about the need for SHAs to assure themselves that all primary care trust (PCT) proposals for changes relating to community hospitals are consistent with the long-term strategy of the "Our health, Our Care, Our Say" White Paper. Copies of that letter area available in the Library. In addition, the Department held meetings with SHAs during March 2006 to ensure that any plans locally to reconfigure community services support the White Paper principles of providing modern health and social care in more local and community settings These sentiments were repeated in paragraphs 3.7 and 3.8 of the Government's recently published document "Our health, our care, our community: investing in the future of community hospitals and services".

Continuing NHS Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to consult on the details of the  (a) screening tool and  (b) decision support tool for determining eligibility for continuing NHS care.

Ivan Lewis: We are consulting on the national decision-support tool as part of the current national consultation on continuing care. A draft of this tool has been published, alongside the consultation documents. Comments and contributions are welcomed as is the case with all the consultation documents.
	We are currently consulting on the principles behind the screening tool. Should it be decided to produce a screening tool, as an outcome of the consultation, it will undergo rigorous benchmarking.

Deaf-Blindness

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what specialist services are available in Herefordshire for children with deaf-blindness;
	(2)  what the Government's recommended time limit is for Herefordshire council to carry out assessments of children with deaf-blindness for specialist services.

Ivan Lewis: Information relating to specialist services in Herefordshire for children with deaf-blindness is not held centrally. Information on such services can be obtained from either Herefordshire county council or Herefordshire primary care trust.
	There is no recommended time limit for the assessments of children with deaf-blindness to be assessed for specialist services.

Dentistry

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there are in the Easington primary care trust area; and how many dentists have opted out of the NHS in the Easington primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: As at 31 March 2006, there were 19 national health services dentists with a general dental services (CDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract within Easington primary care trust (PCT).
	Information on the number of dentists who have not signed the new contract is not available centrally. However, some provisional information that covers contracts is available. A contract may be for more than one dentist and cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level. Provisional management estimates show that in Easington PCT.
	
		
			  Contracts signed  
			 Number 10 
			 Approximate units of dental activity (UDA) value 148,452 
			   
			  Contracts still in discussion  
			 Number 0 
			 Approximate UDA value 0 
			   
			  Contracts rejected  
			 Number 0 
			 Approximate UDA value 0 
			 Percentage of UDAs 0.0 
			   
			  Contracts signed  
			 Number signed without dispute 5 
			 Number signed in dispute 5 
			 Percentage of disputes 50.0 
			  Notes:1. The information provided is not validated.2. It represents a snapshot of the position in early April.3. PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.

Dentistry

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why different rules apply to the spouses of EEA/Swiss nationals applying for full registration as dentists in the UK from those that apply for spouses of UK citizens.

Rosie Winterton: The General Dental Council, which is responsible for the registration of dentists practising in the United Kingdom, is bound by the provisions of European Union (EU) sectoral directive on dentistry, which governs recognition of dental qualifications. As with the directives relating to other professions, the intention is to facilitate the movement of professionals within Europe. Where an EU national and his or her spouse (who is not originally from the EEA) move between member states, the directive provides for an assessment as to whether the spouse's professional qualifications can be considered equivalent to a European qualification. EU law does not, however, allow such an assessment if they remain in the country in which they normally reside. A non-EEA national can still obtain full registration in the UK through the General Dental Council's international qualifying examination.

Health Expenditure

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the amount spent on the NHS  (a) in the UK and  (b) in Gloucestershire was in each year since 1978.

Andy Burnham: The table shows total England net expenditure over the time frame requested and also a shorter time series of information for Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority (SHA) area, now part of the South West SHA. Data for 1998-99 to 2004-05, is the earliest and latest years for which information is available.
	Information for other countries in the United Kingdom can be obtained from the relevant devolved administrations.
	It is not possible to provide data for Gloucestershire as this does not correspond to any current specific health body area. Information in the table relates to revenue expenditure by all relevant health authorities, SHAs and primary care trusts (PCTs) within the current Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA area.
	
		
			  Net expenditure time series 
			  £ million 
			Net NHS expenditure( 1)  Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 
			  Cash( 2)
			 1978-79 Outturn 6,273 — 
			 1979-80 Outturn 7,447 — 
			 1980-81 Outturn 9,700 — 
			 1981-82 Outturn 10,854 — 
			 1982-83 Outturn 11,819 — 
			 1983-84 Outturn 12,494 — 
			 1984-85 Outturn 13,407 — 
			 1985-86 Outturn 14,176 — 
			 1986-87 Outturn 15,173 — 
			 1987-88 Outturn 16,668 — 
			 1988-89 Outturn 18,420 — 
			 1989-90 Outturn 19,855 — 
			 1990-91 Outturn 22,326 — 
			 1991-92 Outturn 25,353 — 
			 1992-93 Outturn 27,968 — 
			 1993-94 Outturn 28,942 — 
			 1994-95 Outturn 30,590 — 
			 1995-96 Outturn 31,985 — 
			 1996-97 Outturn 32,997 — 
			 1997-98 Outturn 34,664 — 
			 1998-99 Outturn 36,608 1,302 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 39,881 1,514 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 1( 3)— 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 40,201 — 
			 2000-01 Outturn 43,932 1,669 
			 2001-02 Outturn 49,021 1,844 
			 2002-03 Outturn 54,042 2,022 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 2( 4,5,6)— 
			 2003-04 Outturn 64,183 2,291 
			 2004-05 Outturn 69,306 2,539 
			 2005-06 Estimated outturn 77,847 — 
			  England expenditure data series:(1) Figures are not consistent over the period (1971-72 to 2007-08). Therefore, it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods.(2) Expenditure pre 1999-2000 is on a cash basis.(3) Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis.(4) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2007-08 are on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis.(5) The resource budgeting stage 2 expenditure figures shown for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are consistent with table 3.4 of the 2006 departmental report.(6) A retrospective adjustment for an underspend on NHSLA provisions of £1.497 billion in 2004-05 affects growth rates for the periods 2003-04 to 2004-05 and 2004-05 to 2005-06. Notes on Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire expenditure data series:1. Expenditure figures given are not the total NHS expenditure in the area.2. Figures for 1998-99 to 2001-02 have been prepared using gross expenditure figures. Figures for 2002-03 and 2003-04 have been adjusted to eliminate expenditure which would be double counted where an authority acts as a lead in commissioning healthcare or other services.3. Expenditure by SHA area is taken as the total expenditure of the SHA, predecessor health authorities and PCTs within the SHA area.4. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and prescription pricing division of the NHS Business Services Authority (formerly known as the Prescription Pricing Authority), respectively, are excluded. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. Sources:1. Audited accounts of relevant health authorities 1998-99.2. Audited summarisation forms of relevant health authorities 1999-2000 to 2001-02.3. Audited summarisation schedules of relevant primary care trusts 2000-01 to 2004-05.4. Audited summarisation forms of Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 2002-03 to 2004-05.

Mental Health

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to improve the safety of women patients in NHS mental health accommodation.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has already introduced a number of policy initiatives which will improve the safety of women patients in mental health accommodation, including: single sex accommodation guidance in 2000; a national suicide prevention strategy in 2002; psychiatric inpatient care best practice guidance in 2002; mainstreaming women's mental health guidance in 2003; and management of violence guidance in 2004 to make in-patient services safer, including clear guidance on single sex accommodation to which national health service trusts are expected to adhere. This allows for men and women within the same unit, providing that there are separate sleeping areas, separate bathrooms and appropriate operational policies and procedures in place to ensure each patient's safety.
	The Department's statistical note of May 2005, "Elimination of mixed-sex hospital accommodation", shows that 99 per cent. of mental health trusts and primary care trusts which provide mental health services meet these single-sex accommodation objectives. We are working closely with the remaining trusts to ensure that they achieve the necessary standards as quickly as possible. This is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/21/41/04112141.pdf
	In 2005, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines on the management of violence in inpatient settings. Revised guidance on the management of aggression and violence is due to be published in September 2006 by the Care Service Improvement Partnership (CSIP), and this will also address issues of sexual safety.
	The Healthcare Commission will include safety and the physical environment in their improvement review on acute inpatient care commencing in autumn 2006 and reporting in 2007. The Healthcare Commission will also include sexual safety in its review of inpatient mental health services due to be carried out in spring 2007.
	In addition, the Department will participate in national programmes which will build on existing initiatives of protecting vulnerable patients in mental health services with CSIP, the National Patient Safety Agency, and other agencies to ensure that reporting and appropriate investigation of all such incidents occurs. For example, CSIP together with the current joint Home Office/Department programme on domestic and sexual violence will discuss with mental health trusts what type of guidance is most needed to help support this.

NHS Direct

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1050W, on NHS Direct, what steps is she taking to measure the net value of NHS Direct to the national health service.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 March 2006
	Regular performance review meetings are held between the Department and NHS Direct. This review includes indicators in relation to the percentage of urgent and emergency referrals and the percentage of calls completed by NHS Direct without onward referral.
	NHS Direct applies consistent methods to assess the clinical needs of people contacting them across the country. According to that assessment they give advice on self care, provide access to a nurse or, where appropriate, advice on seeing a doctor, or other part of the national health service. This ensures that people are able to access health services appropriately.
	NHS Direct provides a 24-hour service, 365 days a year, that is shown in monthly patient satisfaction surveys, to be highly valued by people seeking advice on health and health care.
	The service is available through a variety of channels—by telephone, through the internet or through their television sets in the comfort of their own home. NHS Direct also provides medical and dental out of hours services for a number of primary care trusts and is developing a number of services to support and complement other NHS organisations, including pilot work to proactively support patients with long-term conditions, as well as pre-operative screening and post-operative follow up services. Its work to support people in their homes is an important contribution to the changes in services needed to meet people's needs as set out in the White paper, "Our health, our care, our say, a new direction for community services".

NHS Finance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria will apply to the use of capital money for the NHS; and whether capital receipts for the sale of closed community hospitals will be able to be reused in new community facilities.

Andy Burnham: The Department's capital investment plans are set out in chapter 4 of the 'Departmental Report 2006' published in May of this year.
	National health service trusts and primary care trusts may retain the proceeds of disposals for reinvestment up to their delegated limits. The sums above this limit go back to the strategic health authority for local prioritisation and it would be unusual for them not to be reinvested in the locality.
	As long as the sale proceeds are used for capital investment, such as investment in buildings and equipment, it is for local managers to decide what types of facility are bought and this could include investment in a new community hospital.
	The Government have recently announced a central capital fund of £750 million to invest in community hospitals projects and the criteria that will apply to this money is set out in the recently published document 'Our health, our care, our community' and are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk

Buses

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus compliance officers are available to monitor bus punctuality in  (a) England and  (b) the North West region; how bus punctuality is measured; and how many bus operators were found not to be running their services punctually in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1325-6W, to the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Graham Stringer), regarding the number of bus compliance officers available in Great Britain. A full account of the measurements for bus punctuality is published in the Traffic Commissioners Practice Direction No.4 which is available on-line via: www.dft.gov.uk.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1267W, regarding the number of operators called to public inquiry and the number of orders issued to restrict operations.
	To provide a detailed answer regarding bus operators found not to be operating punctually can only be done at disproportionate cost as the data is not held centrally.

Buses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage the use of public transport by bus in Coventry, South.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 July 2006
	Within the context of delivering our long-term strategy for improving bus services across the country, the most recent steps taken by the Government include:
	Providing local authorities in England with the resources to support their Local Transport Plan strategies, a large part of which are related to improving bus-related infrastructure (some £571 million invested by local authorities between 2001-02 and 2004-05 in bus improvements);
	The introduction of free local concessionary fares for older and disabled people from April 2006, and the announcement of free national concessionary fares from April 2008;
	Up to £200 million per year of the Transport Innovation Fund (from 2008-09) has been made available specifically to support packages of measures that will address congestion in towns and cities through demand management and public transport improvements, including better bus services;
	Allocating £20 million to fund 43 kick-start schemes to pump-prime promising local bus services;
	£54 million available for 2006-07 to support rural bus services.
	Providing capital funding for major bus schemes, such as the £42 million contribution towards the Greater Bristol Bus Network scheme.
	Over the coming months we will be looking at the success of these, and other initiatives, with a view to developing future plans to encourage bus use.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has undertaken on the  (a) number and  (b) length of bus routes serving general hospitals in each local authority which draw down a budget for concessionary fares.

Gillian Merron: None. From 1 April 2006, older and disabled people have been entitled to free off-peak travel within their local authority area. We are introducing a national scheme in April 2008 which will allow older and disabled people free off-peak bus travel anywhere in the country. In the interim, local authorities have the discretion to offer travel concessions to a hospital outside their boundary based on their judgement of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he issues to local authorities on checking compliance by bus companies with the arrangements for concessionary fares.

Gillian Merron: None. The Transport Act 2000 places a duty on bus operators to offer the statutory minimum entitlement; it is an offence if they fail to comply with that obligation. It is for Travel Concession Authorities to decide on how best to check compliance based on local circumstances and take any necessary action.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidies were granted to rural bus operators in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The majority of subsidies for local bus services, including those in rural areas, are provided through unhypothecated funding from the Government's Revenue Support Grant (RSG) to local authorities.
	The Department has separately provided specific funding for rural bus services to local authorities in England through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG), since 1998, and the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC), between 1998 and 2003.
	The amounts provided in RBSG allocations and RBC awards are shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   RBSG  RBC 
			 1998-99 32.50 11.2 
			 1999-00 32.50 16.8 
			 2000-01 32.50 21.2 
			 2001-02 41.50 20.5 
			 2002-03 47.50 20.0 
			 2003-04 48.50 20.3 
			 2004-05 51.00 n/a 
			 2005-06 53.00 n/a

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the unnumbered command papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; how  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.
	The Department for Transport was formed on 31 May 2002, since then some 277 unnumbered Command Papers have been laid.
	Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Departmental Staff

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) in 2006-07.

Gillian Merron: The Department has used the Access to Work scheme particularly in our larger agencies. Records of the support provided via the service is either not centrally recorded or incomplete. As it is for the individual to apply for help via the scheme, the employer will not always be aware that support has been provided.

Digital Tachographs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is taking steps to exempt coach companies organising tours lasting more than one week from the rule that requires drivers to have one day off in seven; what representations have been made to him by trade unions about the rule; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: A new, directly applicable, EU Regulation on drivers' hours has recently been adopted by the EU institutions—it was published in the Official Journal in April 2006 and will, for the most part, come into force in April 2007.
	During negotiation of this new EU Regulation, consideration was given to retaining the provision in the existing EU Regulation which allows coach drivers on non-regular journeys—such as excursions, tours and private hire—to postpone their weekly rest period until the end of the twelfth day. Following strong opposition to this on road safety grounds, it was not included.
	The Department carried out an extensive public consultation exercise prior to adoption of this new EU Regulation. The trade unions were invited to contribute, and did not support the retention of this particular provision.

Driving Test Centres

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where each driving centre test site is located; and how many of each type of test was taken at each site in 2005-06.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Environmental Standards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: On 12 June Government launched new targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate, which included a requirement for all Departments to have Environmental Management Systems based upon or modelled upon a recognised system. The Department for Transport is committed to achieving this target.

Public Transport (London)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people travelled on  (a) buses,  (b) trains and  (c) other forms of public transport in each (i) London borough and (ii) region in each year since 2001.

Gillian Merron: The number of bus and light rail passenger journeys by Government office region (including London) for years 1994-95 to 2004-05 can be found in table 2.1 or the Department's publication "Regional Transport Statistics: 2005". This publication is available from the Department's website and a copy will shortly be placed in the House of Commons Library. The number of London Underground passenger journeys for years 1994-95 to 2004-05 can be found in table 2.4 of the same publication.
	Information on regional rail travel is included in the National Rail Trends Yearbooks, which are published by the Office of Rail Regulation and available in the House of Commons Library. The statistics team at the Office of Rail Regulation also hold information on rail travel by station and by borough.
	Information on the number of public transport journeys in each London borough are not available for other modes.

Rural Transport

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much was spent on the Rural Transport Fund in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many bus services have been extended to rural areas under the Rural Transport Fund since 1998.

Gillian Merron: Since 1998 the Department has provided specific funding for rural transport through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and, up to 2003, awards under the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC). RBSG supports over 2000 services nationally in England. RBC has provided funding for over 300 local authority schemes. Annual allocations for each of these schemes are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   RBSG  RBC 
			 1998 32.50 11.2 
			 1999 32.50 16.8 
			 2000 32.50 21.2 
			 2001 41.50 20.5 
			 2002 47.50 20.0 
			 2003 48.50 20.3 
			 2004 51.00 n/a 
			 2005 53.00 n/a 
			 2006 54.30 n/a 
		
	
	The Department also awarded funding for 11 schemes in rural areas through the Kickstart scheme in 2005.
	The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also provided funding through the Countryside Agency for Rural Transport Partnership schemes.

Speed Limits

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to rural-proof its policies on  (a) quiet lanes and  (b) the installation of national speed limit signs at the end of lower-speed zones.

Gillian Merron: Quiet Lanes is a Countryside Agency initiative that aims to maintain the character of minor rural roads. Guidance on Quiet Lanes has been developed by the Department in collaboration with the Countryside Agency.
	For national consistency, all changes of speed limit are required by law to be clearly signed so that all road users may be aware of potential vehicle speeds and to allow drivers ample time to adjust their speed accordingly. This includes the beginning of national speed limits. However, the signing requirements seek to strike a sensible balance between driver awareness and unnecessary sign clutter and environmental intrusion. For example repeater national speed limit applies signs are only required on roads where there are street lights.
	The Department acknowledges that speed limit signs may not necessarily be in keeping with the aesthetic layout of the countryside. However, they are a vital tool in alerting drivers to a change in road conditions. We continue to work closely with Defra and the Countryside Agency to ensure speed limit signing is appropriate yet not unnecessarily intrusive.

Transport Innovation Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total estimated cost is of the schemes outlined by his Department as potentially eligible for the first round of Transport Innovation Fund funding; and what total funding is available for projects which receive this funding.

Gillian Merron: The total funding available within the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) is £9,450 million, of which £290 million is available in 2008-09 and £600 million in 2009-10, the first two years of the TIF. Of this, up to £200 million a year will be available for packages involving demand management aimed to tackle congestion.
	The total cost of the schemes which will be taken forward for further consideration and appraisal under Productivity TIF, as listed in my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State's announcement on 27 June, is currently estimated to be around £1.4 billion. The option of a TIF contribution is also under consideration for Crossrail. I refer the hon. Member to the Parliamentary Estimate of Expense submitted with the Crossrail Bill for the estimated cost of that scheme.
	My right hon. Friend's announcement made it clear that we expect to allocate TIP funds to only a limited number of the schemes listed, and that the availability of other funding contributions would be a consideration in deciding on those allocations.

Adult Community Learning

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to improve the availability of adult community learning.

Maria Eagle: Arising from the recommendations of the Review of Further Education (FE), the Department for Employment and Learning will bring forward new arrangements for improved collaboration between FE colleges and other education and training providers, including voluntary and community-based organisations. The involvement of non-statutory organisations is intended to encourage those in the community who are reluctant to re-engage with the formal FE college structure, to take up opportunities to develop their skills and generally improve their prospects of employment.

Audiology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are waiting for digital hearing aids in each board area of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Health and Social Services Boards have advised that the number of people assessed as suitable for a digital hearing aid and currently awaiting fitting within each of the four board areas is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Northern board 109 
			 Southern board 537 
			 Eastern board 853 
			 Western board 285 
		
	
	These figures include analogue users who are transferring to digital.
	As part the Government's drive to reduce waiting times, an Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (ICATS) is being developed within a number of disciplines which include ENT services.
	A new electronic referral management system will manage all GP referrals for assessment. Those who can be assessed and treated without consultant intervention will be dealt with in a primary/community care setting and diagnostic requirements will be managed so that these are delivered within a set time of six weeks. Only those who need to see a consultant will be referred onward to a hospital.
	Audiology departments will have an opportunity to bid for funds from ICATS budget in order to modernise services so there should be significant changes within service delivery in the future.

Bonfires

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures his Department has in place to improve the enforcement of the law relating to  (a) lighting bonfires and  (b) the burning of tyres and other toxic waste on bonfires.

David Cairns: The 2004 report by the Interagency Working Group on bonfires set out the Department of the Environment's remit, and the limited range of its powers with regard to bonfires (a copy of the report is available in the Library). Primary responsibility rests with district councils and landowners.
	The Department's focus in relation to the burning of tyres and waste on bonfires is twofold. Firstly, it is continuing its campaign with commercial outlets producing waste tyres (through visits and guidance) to advise them how to dispose of tyres legally and to reinforce their duty of care obligations.
	Secondly, under the Duty of Care provisions in the 1997 Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order, it is maintaining its enforcement brief against the producers of trade waste (including tyres), or those who transport it to bonfires.

Domestic Violence

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women reported incidents of domestic violence in each of the last five years; what measures are in place to support women who report domestic violence; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The number of domestic violence incidents reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland is given in the following table. There is no official breakdown available by gender but it is known that women are the victims in the majority of reported cases. A strategy for addressing domestic violence in Northern Ireland "Tackling Violence at Home" was launched in October 2005. The strategy is aimed at providing protection and support to all victims of domestic violence, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation. All victims can seek information and advice through the 24-Hour Free-phone Domestic Violence Helpline which handles over 20,000 calls each year. Any victim of a domestic assault can seek protection from the police who will investigate, arrest the alleged abuser if power exists and prosecute where there is evidence of a crime. The police have trained Domestic Violence Officers in each District Command Unit. Alternatively a victim can apply to a court for a civil order (a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order) to prevent further abuse or exclude the abuser from the family home. There are 12 Women's Aid Refuges in operation across Northern Ireland for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Local Women's Aid Groups also provide a range of other services for women, including outreach and floating support for women who wish to remain in their own homes.
	
		
			  Domestic violence incidents reported to PSNI 
			  April-March each year:  Incidents reported to PSNI 
			 2001-02 14,937 
			 2002-03 15,512 
			 2003-04 16,926 
			 2004-05 20,959 
			 2005-06 23,059 
			  Notes:These figures do not represent the prevalence of the problem as domestic violence is seriously under-reported.

Domicilary Oxygen Supplies

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were dependent on a domiciliary oxygen system in their home in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Paul Goggins: Those patients who are dependent on an oxygen system in their home, requiring long-term oxygen therapy i.e. 15 hours or more a day over a prolonged period are normally prescribed an oxygen concentrator. It is also considered to be economical for those requiring a minimum of eight hours oxygen a day to be prescribed an oxygen concentrator.
	Central Services Agency (CSA) records report that in 1997 (earliest information available) 31 patients were being managed on a concentrator (with 19 of these in possession of a back-up cylinder/giving set). In 2005, 1,566 patients were being managed by a concentrator and 1,279 of these had a back-up cylinder/giving set.

Energy Efficiency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure that every home in Northern Ireland uses at least one energy efficient light bulb.

David Hanson: It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to contribute to a more sustainable environment, one that aims to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source. I would like to see every house with energy efficient light bulbs and to that end a number of steps are being taken, Northern Ireland Electricity distributes energy efficiency light bulbs (CFLs) through the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre, Energy Efficiency Levy projects and the Warm Homes Scheme where eligible households receive four light bulbs. NIE aim to distribute over 97,000 energy efficient light bulbs this year.
	The Northern Ireland Housing Executive as part of its Home Energy Conservation Authority role raises public awareness on energy efficiency by advertising widely on TV, radio etc., by providing face to face advice at exhibitions, shows, etc. in conjunction with the EST Advice Centre and by funding a number of projects such as cash back for insulation and demonstration schemes. These actions promote and encourage the use of energy efficient light bulbs.

Higher Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of 18 year olds in each constituency in Northern Ireland went on to higher education in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of 18 year olds in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland entering higher education 2000-01-2004-05 
			  Parliamentary constituency  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast East 31 26 30 26 28 
			 Belfast North 17 18 20 18 18 
			 Belfast South 14 24 20 23 37 
			 Belfast West 17 18 16 16 18 
			 East Antrim 26 27 29 28 34 
			 East Londonderry 29 31 27 27 30 
			 Fermanagh And South Tyrone 43 37 35 38 37 
			 Foyle 28 30 28 29 32 
			 Lagan Valley 32 34 36 31 34 
			 Mid Ulster 38 35 32 35 38 
			 Newry And Armagh 41 34 32 29 31 
			 North Antrim 34 31 34 32 32 
			 North Down 39 35 36 38 34 
			 South Antrim 36 30 31 31 30 
			 South Down 31 32 33 29 32 
			 Strangford 33 31 31 31 33 
			 Upper Bann 33 31 33 29 29 
			 West Tyrone 39 35 35 32 35 
			 Total 30 30 30 29 31 
			  Note:  1. The data in the table exclude 877 18 year olds with unknown postcode.  2. The total 18 year old population in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years was as follows, 24,408 in 2000-01, 25,548 in 2001-02, 26,023 in 2002-03, 26,756 in 2003-04 and 27,288 in 2004-05.   Source:  HESA, FESR and NISRA mid-year population estimate

Joyriding

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sentencing guidelines are in place for persons convicted of "joy-riding" in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Government does not issue guidelines on sentencing for any offence in Northern Ireland. Sentencing is entirely a matter for the independent courts based on case law and precedent. The role the Government plays is to provide the legislative framework and options within which the courts operate. To that end, in 2004, we introduced two new offences and penalties to deal with what is often inappropriately referred to as "joy-riding".
	We created the offence of "Aggravated vehicle taking" which is a vehicle being taken without consent, and which is then driven dangerously or causes an accident which results in injury, damage to property or damage to the vehicle. The maximum penalty for this offence is up to five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
	We also created the more serious offence of "Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking". The maximum penalty for this offence is up to 14 years imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Newly Qualified Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing graduates in Northern Ireland found posts within  (a) three months,  (b) six months and  (c) 12 months in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held either in the Department or the relevant higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland.
	HEIs conduct a 'Graduate Destination Survey', which offers a snap shot of graduate activity, commencing six months after graduation. Completion of the survey questionnaire is voluntary, therefore not all graduates respond.
	The following tables set out the information available for both HEIs in Northern Ireland for the last three years. Academic year 2005-06 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Queens University Belfast, (QUB) Graduation Destination Survey 
			  Academic year  Completed questionnaires  Employed (percentage) 
			 2002-03 110 94.5 
			 2003-04 376 97 
			 2004-05 460 97.1 
			  Source:  QUB Destination Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: University of Ulster Graduation Destination Survey 
			  Academic year  Completed questionnaires  Employed (percentage) 
			 2002-03 1 100 
			 2003-04 144 95.8 
			 2004-05 7 100 
			  Source:  UU Destination Survey

Pensioners

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners in Northern Ireland  (a) receive homecare and  (b) reside in care homes.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the number of pensioners receiving homecare. However, the number of persons aged 65 and over receiving home help services in Northern Ireland was 21,617 at 31 March 2005, the latest date for which figures are available.
	Information on the number of pensioners residing in care homes is also not collected centrally. However, information is available for 2001 from the Northern Ireland Census of Population on the number of people resident in communal establishments including residential homes and nursing homes. The number of persons aged 65 and over resident in these homes is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Place of residence  Number of persons aged 65 and over 
			 Residential homes 3,325 
			 Nursing homes 6,171 
			 Total 9,496

Property Tax Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1822W, on property tax reform, when the paper will be placed in the Library.

David Hanson: I can confirm that a copy of the paper was placed in the Library on 19 July 2006.

Sustainable Buildings

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many builders have been prosecuted for non-compliance with environmental building regulations in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils, I can confirm that there have been six prosecutions for non-compliance of the environmental building regulations in the last five years.

Valuation and Lands Agency (Data Protection)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment  (a) the Government and  (b) the Valuation and Lands Agency has made of whether the Valuation and Lands Agency's domestic rates revaluation computer database holds sensitive personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998.

David Hanson: Information managers, at departmental and agency level are responsible (at the appropriate level) for the proper implementation of Government policies concerning Data Protection and Freedom of Information principles.
	The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) assesses its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 on an ongoing basis. DFP, as required by the Data Protection Legislation, completes an annual notification to the Information Commissioners Office. Notification is the process by which DFP as a data controller informs the Information Commissioner of certain details about the processing of personal data, Those details are used by the Commissioner to make an entry describing the processing in a register, which is available to the public for inspection.
	Business areas within DFP contribute to this process by undertaking a review of the notification at least annually when it is due for renewal or when a new process or system is proposed which may change the way personal data is handled.
	The Valuation and Lands Agency assesses whether its domestic rates revaluation computer database holds sensitive personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998 at least annually when the Department of Finance and Personnel reviews its Data Protection Notification. The Agency applies the eight Data Protection principles outlined in the Data Protection Act 1988. Assessment of data held is also undertaken when changes are made in process or systems within the agency.